So Who Will Villa Sign?

Tis the end of the season - you might well have noticed, what with the league being won, the fixtures ending and the players packing their bags to go on their holidays.

So here comes the speculation and rumour season, with loads of players about to be linked to Aston Villa and hopefully a good few actually coming to Villa Park in time for the 2007/2008 season.

So back, by popular demand, is the rumours thread on the front page. See a story linking us with a player? Share it with us all. Heard a tenuous link, or seen a player around Villa Park? Let us know! Oh, and although I'll do my best to announce incoming players as soon as possible, if you hear of a signing before I do, wang it on this thread as well.

The January thread ended up with nearly 2000 article comments, spaced over several articles (the limit per article is 350, anymore than that and it slows things down too much so I'll change the threads over each time we hit the limit!)

COME ON THE VILLA.

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Your Comments (oldest first)

So, let me kick things off with an unlikely one, unfortunately, Frank Ribéry currently at Marseille. With a nine inch scar down the side of his face he became a major footballing icon after blistering performances for France during the last World Cup.

Never gonna happen. If you want a good shout for a player with a bit of continental flair, we should look at Manuel Fernanades at Benfica. He has some, if limited, Premiership experience with Portsmouth and Everton, and at only 21, already a fine player and would be a very exciting prospect.
A holding midfielder is surely a priority with Nigel Reo-Coker top of the list. Strong, athletic and an excellent passer of the ball, he would be an ideal foil for Barry, Petrov, Young et al.
We desperately need a new right-back but I can't think of many good contenders. Is there an outside chance Marton O'Neill was looking at Daniel Alves at the Sevilla game a couple of weeks ago?
As for a striker? I'm not sure that Defoe or Bellamy greatly improve us. I think Darren Bent is a top goalscorer and the kind of player that would turn a few of those many draws into victories so he would be a priority. Otherwise, I would suggest a bid for Michael Owen. If he can stay fit, he's still a great player, would love playing alongside Carew, and not only are we in far better shape than Newcastle at present, he is exactly the kind of forward Gabby needs to learn from. The presence of such a big name would also be key in continuing to raise the profile of our new 'brand', so a transfer fee in the region of £9-10m could essentially pay for itself.

I think Darren Bent also needs to be the top of our list. Proven himself domestically over two seasons, still young and the type of player who could bring composure to our front line alongside the line of Carew.
Right back, who on earth knows. I think Glenn Johnson is being recalled for another shot at chelsea, but could be worth a cheeky bid. I'm not sure where Young is going to be preferred but he seems to be most effective on the flanks, either side.

we need quite a few players if we want to compete next year. My list would be a GK, LB, RB, CB, defensive midfielder, a creative midfielder, x2, one would definately need to be able to play right mid, and a centre forward. Probably not all at once though because it would probably unsettle the team. I think the defenders are a priority, and a goalscorer up front. Also even though Carew looked good in nealy every game, i think we could do with a differant type of target man, in order to play differant styles. God i hope we get in to the UEFA, it will give us the edge over these other teams that have been taken over that have lots of money

i shall soil that blanket even further by saying there is no chance we will get michael owen. that just crazy talk. we've been linked with antunes - a highly rated young portugese right back, whom inter milan and bayern apparently wanted. thats the sort of player i would like a few of at villa park. its the arsene wenger approach, building a quality, young squad.

Why does everybody keep saying: Distin - he's the wrong side of 30 and O'Neill wants younger players, Bellamy/Defoe - We already have two extremly pacy strikers, O'Neill will probably be looking to replace Sutton with a big tall strong striker that can replace Carew when needed. Under O'Neill we will ALWAYS play with one big strong striker so buying another short, pacy striker is a waste of time because what would we do if Carew got injured?

What about Luke Young at Charlton for right back? They played some of their better performances when he came back from injury. If he's looking to break back the England side then he won't want to be playing in the Championship.

I thought Distin was 31? I would like to see Wayne Bridge brought in as competition at left back with Bouma. Nolan wont leave Bolton so that would be a waste of time. However Scott Carson would be a decent purchase to replace Sorensen.

Industrial Music - according to the bible of knowledge that is Wikipedia he is not 30 till later this year. Agree with you on Carson although he has looked shakey on ocassions this season. I think Nolan will go to Newcastle. Does anyone think with Liverpool signing Mascherano that Sissoko might be available, no theres a proper player.

Still though. 30 this year, we should be looking a younger quality players who could in a few years time, replace the older players once they have a bit of experience. I think a large part of the problem here is everyone expecting to buy a player who will immediately replace another player. We should be looking to 'grow' a team together (like Man United and Arsenal have done) ...Carson has been outstanding, he has looked shaky but any goalkeeper would have their shaky moments playing behind a defence as bad as Charltons!!! Sissoko is a very good player, he's young too. It would be brilliant to replace McCann with him.

FAO : liamo1981
So you're saying we need a goalkeeper, 3 defenders, 3 midfielders and 1 attacker..... so basically a whole new team? Think about it for god sake.
Anyways....
We have a decent team. We need a steady GK (perhaps Boruc - or maybe a cheeky bid for Dudek/Cudicini?). Def a RB, god only knows where from though (Luke Young maybe - but he's still not top 6 standard). A holding midfield to give Petrov the freedom to attack. We could do with cover upfront but why is everyone going mad and insisting we need a striker when we have Carew, Young, Moore & Agbonlahor. Ah yes thats why, Randy Lerner.
LETS BUY ADE AKINBIYE FOR A ZILLION POUNDS CUS WE CAN!!!!11222

oal why you always commenting on our site. go slit ur eyebrows. Anyway ive watched boruc a lot of times and he's a very secure keeper. Phil jagielka was mentioned today in the papers but i ain't sure about him.

Scott Carson is definitely on my wish list. He has been outstanding this season and despite Charlton's shocking season still managed to win just about every award going with their club and fans this season. Distin would be a good freebie, probably a better pound for pound played than Mellberg and roughly the same age. Koumas from WBA would be a good addition to the squad. RB is a problem area but no british based names really fit the bill, I think we may have to go overseas for this one. And finally (although I have a larger wish list) here's one for people to laugh at me about....now that we have enough money to take a bit of a wild punt on the lower leagues I'd give Lee Trundle a chance in a Berger/Merson role, I know he's getting on a bit now (late 20's?) but that guy is in a different class in the lower leagues and with the extra time and quality in the prem I can't believe someone hasn't taken a punt on him before.

OAL - hi mate how ya doing? Up to your usual tricks i see. I am gonna ask a serious question so please dignify it with a serious answer. European qualification would have been nice, however the UEFA cup is not the Champions League therefore i cannot see Everton or Bolton attracting players over Villa should we all go in for them. The point i am making is that many players now days view the Champs League as the holy grail, i do not really buy into the UEFA cup attracting the top players.

UEFA cup is the new Worthless Cup, a parachute payment from the Chamions League - probably irrelavant in attracting players below the top 4 clubs. A good cup run in England is far more valuable to us. I believe Bellamy is a done deal, our bid for 7.5m was accepted (my brother says so, and he was right about Carew and Young). We need back up for Laursen - who has been our best player by a mile in defence (when fit), I'd suggest Distin. Luke Young at RB. Midfield is a tricky one, but rumours are going round we are in for Milner again.

I would have liked to see Sidwell come in, but by all accounts he's off to Chelski. What about Reo-Coker & Luke Young? I see that we're being linked with Mark Viduka. Wasn't there a rumour that we were going in for Marlon King - that might not be a bad investment, big powerful lad, albeit a bit unproven in the top flight.

OAL - You will have competition for players this summer FROM US. You missed out on Young who's been majestic the last few games. Also you will maybe have to pay Berbatov a kings ransom to stay, or he'll be offski. If you cash in, I suppose you'll hoover up the lOndon talent in usual fashion

I would hate to see us sign Marlon King, bit of a headless chicken. Viduka would be an excellent squad addition but i cant see him settling for that. Luke young would fit in nicely. Distin would be an excellent freebie, i dont care about his age as we wouldnt be paying a transfer fee. I would like to see Barton in alongside Petrov, give us some fire. But if MON is going to pair Petrov with Barry in the middle with Young on the left then Milner on right wing would be a decent shout. Why is there a problem with Bellamy?? Hes seriously quick and an excellent finisher, he would play off carew like a dream.

how about Boruc-£4mill, Distin-Freebee, Portualgese U21-£750,000, Mcshane-£1.5mill, M.Taylor-£5mill(very versale player and can score from range), P.Jaleika-£5mill(Also very versale player and can score from range good leader too), Reo-Coker-£4mill, Barton-£3.5mill, Striker one of Tevez(no chance),Bellamy(looks likely),Bent,Defoe,Keane,Nugent and another to replace angel and sutton Fabiano we have been linked with and also Viduka, Viduka would be a exellent signing on a free and back up for carew but without the pace.
Boruc/Taylor-Taylor/Bouma-Mellberg/Cahill-Distin/Laurson(if we sell him Jagielka-Portualgese U21 RB/Mcshane-Young/Malonely-Barry/Barton-Petrov/Reo-Coker/Gardener-Milner/Abonglahor-Carew/Viduka or Fabiano-Bellamy/Abonglahor/Moore.

You can forget trying to sign Bent, Defoe and Keane. Bent to Spurs is a certainty in the summer and we will never sell Robbie Keane to you (He deserves better). Jermain Defoe is good back up for Keane and will not be sold either.

OAL, i agree that Keane wont be sold but i dont think youll sign Bent unless Defoe goes. Don't really want Defoe to be honest, good player but i would rather we give Gabby a full season up front and see where we are after that.

Well if Agbonlahor fulfills his potential he will undoubtedly be better than Defoe, no question about it. The question is, can you keep him when the likes of Man U and Chelsea come sniffing? Wouldn't mind selling Defoe and buying Bent but would prefer to have them both.

OAL, the good thing about Gabby is he is a massive Villa fan and grew up in the shadows of the stadium. If you were to ask that question 2 years ago i would have said without doubt he would be sold to Man U or Chelsea, however now i think we may be able to match his ambition, by the time he reaches his potential hopefully we will be in a position where we are as attractive as the clubs you mention. With regard to Defoe, i think the minute you sign Bent he will be off quicker than Jordans kegs.

Well Defoe has shown commitement to Spurs and has never moaned about being on the bench so i hope that he stays. If Villa are to progress into a force in the Premiership it is players like Agbonlahor, Moore, Barry, Gardner that you will have to keep hold of as they are all future stars bar Barry (who already is one). But it is going to be hard. Look at Spurs, could not keep hold of Carrick and are fighting to keep hold of Lennon, Berbatov, King etc.

Jagelka would be worth a punt purely on his versatility(even plays in goal) I think he will further develop.... I like the link to Viduka, because you can bet your bottom dollar Big JC will suffer either injury or loss of form some time during next season and as someone else said MON does favour playing a big striker up front. I can unfortunately se Luke and Ridge moving on.

(removed the wind up posts. abuse won't be tolerated. also people from other sites are welcome as long as they are contributing to the debate as opposed to the childish rubbish from the other plonker!)

Boaz Myhill, Scott Parker, Luke Young and Sylvain Distin. Keep the young players we already have and there will be the makings of a good side. Possibly look for a big forward as cover for J.C. maybe an up and coming striker from the lower leagues or do a Wenger and uncover a promising foreign striker.

Bellamy is coming! We need a goalkeeper, Sorenson looks a liability in goal in big pressure games. Boruc would be my choice, he's class but the big boys are in for him. Luke Young, Distin and a midfielder (can't think who). There may be some surprises from the continent, but I don't follow the European scene. Tayls on SS1!

Celtic rejects I don't think so. Thanks for Maloney and Petrov by the way. I hear the big boys are in for Boruc! Has Sidwell signed for Chelski? Right back, centre back, midfielder and Bellamy! Reading God's autobiography at the moment and he mentioned when we tried to sign Gazza and Bergkamp. It will be great if we can find classy jewells like them this summer.

We should buy French or Dutch, its been proven time after time that they can hack it in the premiership. I read in a post here that our scouts have been in France. We need 5 decent signings minimum RB....CB....Holding midfield.....Pacey Left Winger....Target man as cover for Carew. K'kufo or Koervermans (Rangers are in for him) from the dutch league could be excellent buys.

Carson, Distin, Young, Swp, Keane, Saviola, surely not too much to ask for, oh I cant think of any decent available defensive midfielders, maybe momo sissoko wont be needed by the pool now they have mascharano. UTV

Will any players sign until they are back from thier hols? It always seems a game of last minute poker to me. Anyone got the stats on when players sign during this window? A kind Gooner provided us with the info in January, we actually went against the trend by signing Young & Carew well before deadline day. Shall I start my Bobby Zamora link ;-)

Scott Brown has signed from Hibs to Celtic so Gravesen is on his way out........ surely not??!! Prefer Craig Gordon to Borat. Young/Mcshane/Jagielka at FB would do me nice. Man Citey fans don't rate Distin so I don't know at centre back. Okey-Cokey in the middle. Milner on the wing and I agree with the sentiment that MON will go for a holding player up front but it does seem Bellemy's coming according to our inside man (Tarzans brother). As for the continent.... who knows what surprises are in store!!

fair enough fear that is,i for one like hearing other supporters opinions,only oal only comes on here 99 per cent of the time to annoy and wind villa supporters up time and time again which does nothing but start arguments and abuse(like his comment left on and not deleted-keane deserves better than villa!)about nothing at all to do with the topic and people can only take so much of this i hope you understand,frustrating to say the least it is.he shouldve been banned long ago from this site and im not the first to suggest that particular idea. UTV

french international malouda has told lyon he wants to leave for england next season,he has said he has a number of interested clubs in for him already and would cost 6-7million. if barry is to stay in middle that would free up the left mid spot for him.malouda is definately martins type of player(quick,skilful,is very mobile and has eye for goal.) him on left and young on right sounds very good to me.although seeing he is french he probably will go to arsenal with wenger!

sneidjer yes please,be a good holding midfielder or i reckon we take a look at diarra of chelski now since sidwell is heading there,surely he is on his bike in summer as mourinho obviously doesnt rate him or fell out with him again.he is the closest to makelele i have seen about and can pass a football and tackle as good as anyone,also can cover right back.(20 years old with bags of potential.)

Assuming Fitzgerald isn't bluffing, we could be looking at what? between 30 and 60 mil? Thats what it would take to be playing "champions league football next season." I think we ought to spend it on two quality, match altering players and a few little young prospects. Have no idea who to buy though, my knowlege of the transfer market is based solely on football manager.

Gazvilla i said that we need thoseplayers because we do. we only have 1 lb and 1 RB, (Delaney doesn't count because he is a cripple) if we want to do anything we need another centre back. Sorenson is not good enough, either is McCann. we only have 1 right midfielder, gabby was our top goalscorer with 10 goals, and he is only 20. so id say we need a proper goal scorer, one that will score 20 goals. im not saying that all these players need to be 10 mil each, id like to see some young players come in that may develop into good players. but we definatley need a starting RB, CB, GK, defensive midfielder, and striker. we really need depth more than anything.

Need to stay away from African players for this season if possible due to the cup of nations.Think Chealsea and Arse may suffer a bit. Wot about raiding middlesvilla and try to get Downing? I likethe balance we seem to have wit barry playin in the middle.Gudjohnson may be available and he knows wot the prem is all about. I like Moore stevie davis and a few of our other young fringe players.I just hope they are willing to be farmed out on loan rather than put in a transfer if they see other players coming in ,in their position.

We dont need any more left sided players, Kallstrom, Malouda, Van Der Vaart etc etc. We have Barry, Young, Maloney, and Moore who are all left sided players. We are very light on the right hand side, we need a right winger!!!!!!! We havent had one since Solano left the club !!!!!!!!!!!!

tarzan you probably are correct. Whatever people say about Bellamy's personality, i think he'd make a fantastic partnership with Carew. He does need to be tamed occasionally, but O'neill didnt do a bad job of that when he took him to celtic did he? Those 2 signings would be a great start, but then i'ld love him to sign a box office midfielder, as in a world class player. Then along with a centre back, LB as cover for Bouma and a replacement for Tommy S, we would not have a bad team at all. Easy as that?

I take it you are a spurs fan then???
rather then trying to wind us up dont you think it would be more constructive if we worked togethor to break up the big four
Spurs and Villa are 2 of the realistic clubs that could break up the monopoly that threatens our game, rather then bickering between ourselves we should have our eyes on the bigger goal.... one or more of us (Everton/Newcastle Included) NEEDS to break in to try and make the league competitive again.....Obvious i want it to be Villa but we all need to catch them for the benefit of the game

We'll see chalky, we'll see...but bare in mind its only the last couple of seasons that spurs have had a better team than villa. You invested in young players and have done really well...just what villa are doing right now so if i was you i wouldn't get too ahead of yourself. In my opinion you are currently the 5th best team in the country (pretty obvious after two 5th placed finished) but the gap between you and the top 4 is still MASSIVE. I think with right investment (we have the money now lads we just need to spend it wisely) in the playing squad there's no reason why we can't be the 6th best team next year. Everton, Bolton etc. can't compete in the transfer market with us, even with uefa cup football on offer - i agree we won't get Keane, Defoe etc. unless Spurs want to sell them, then i think they will come to us if we want them. I don't think next season there will be too much of a points gap between our teams so maybe you should keep quiet and see who we sign and how we play next year. Don't forget we beat you to Young in January as you couldn't/wouldn't pay the fee we were offering - there's no guarentee we wouldn't outbid you on every player you went for - then the player wouldn't be able to choose you over us.

Theres very little between the teams in 5th-11th,provided pompey and Reading build on what they achieved,and considering W Ham,Newcastle and possibly M City should improve,a top 8 finish for any team outside the top 4 will be very difficult.I think O Neill will sign players we'll all be a bit dissapointed with,but will turn out to be good.

I'd love to see Defoe, and so would O'Neill however I feel we have enough players like him, i.e. Gabi, Moore, young. Depending on what we spend this season, I'd still like to see a good right back, a proven central midfielder, and maybe a Keeper. I think with Moore and Youngs/Gabis versatility we should look to strenghten the rest of our team starting with a new contract for Mellberg!

pezza-good post but the top 4 are not a massive way away at all,Manyoo/Chelsea maybe yeah but Arsenil & Liverpool are not,dont forget we finished 1 point from the Champs Lge last year (Jol blew a 7 point lead!) & just 8 this year (despite playing 59 games!)As for Ashley young,we offered £3mill which is what the lad is worth,he also wanted to come to WHL which is why it dragged on for soooooo long.I might also add that the owner of THFC is worth over 2 billion so dont think you are the only one with wedge,before Roman turned up Joe Lewis was THE no1 richest man in football,last i looked he was 2nd richest but thats beside the point.As we at THFC have found out over recent years,you can have all the money in the world but if you dont spend it right you will get nowhere at a rapid rate of knots.Behind the scenes as well we have changed for the better,we have a reserve/youth set up that is brimming with talent,perhaps you will of noticed that as our reserve team with an average age of 18/19 beat Villa"s stiffs full of 1st team players home & away.We also played you off the pitch at Villa Pk for 70mins until the referee wrongly sent off Davenport (later quashed) & beat you at WHL.I also recall Sorenson last year playing a blinder at WHL & Defoe missing a penalty at Villa Pk to avoid you getting beat.It seems to me that you are alot further away from top 6 than we are to top 4.......??Just my opinion....If MON came to WHL (which there was a good chance of several times) he would of been sacked within 12 months,we wouldnt accept that brand of football,basic kick n rush that got Graham the sack despite being the only man recently to deliver silverware.

Chalky - we'll see next season. At the end of the day we are building for the future despite your wins over us; you can't deny that. I firmly believe we will catch you up in a season or so but not next season. Can we have Robbie Keane please? He's on fire!

If Chalky and OneAaronLennon (and the muppet who does their fanzone commentary on sky sports) are representative of all Spurs fans then it is not surprising that Spurs fans (and West Ham fans!) are the laughing stock of most fans throughout the country. Their delusions of grandeur are truly hilarious!!

Chalky, the gap is massive as long the top 4 remain constant. If you keep Berbatov you'll have a chance, if you can sort your defence out (King looks finished unfortunately). Liverpool are now in for some really top drawer players with the yanks backing, Arsenals youth is looking very good. Young is amazing from what I've seen. 3m - maybe a few years back when most teams had no cash. But we have had to pay over the odss in January and we had no cup football on offer. Like Berbatov we'll make a tidy profit if he moves on. Spurs are well ahead of us this season, but you've had two consistent (but cupless) years. We were desperate 12 months ago and looked certs for relegation.

Chalky, you are nice and deluded....we will see next year then mate, there are so many wrongs with your post that I cant even be arsed to right them all ...
If you beleive that Ash Young is only worth 3 Million you clearly havent seen the kid play!!! and for the record he was an Arsenal fan in his youth not a spurs fan as so many of you seem to think and the reason it took so long was a prolonged medical due to the large fee, being as you have taken so much of an interest in Villa I would have thought you would have known all this!!!! another thing if you dont see us as a threat why are you on our site ???? shouldnt you be telling redscouse & arse that you are on their backs ???

David James in sunday's Guardian was asked who he see's as possible contenders for breaking the top 4's monopoly and he backed Villa's potential but also said, and I think alot of people agree, that Spurs have tried for the past two seasons and failed and perhaps have now reached as far as they can go.

In my opinion Spurs have a much better team than everyone else bar the top 4, however there a few teams that will catch them soon. Villa, West Ham etc. have money to spend - lets not forget that's how Spurs got there - by spending wisely. The fact is we are prepared to pay the cash for these players now, and maybe Spurs have done there big spending...we will see. However, Villa's youth set-up is light years away from Spurs - plus most of your decent kids were nicked from abroad. Villa's youth set-up has produced Vassell, Barry (sort-of), Ridgewell, Cahill, Davies, Gardner, Agbonlahor, Luke Moore, Myhill etc. etc. in the past few years...all of whom have gone on to be premiership quality players. Spurs can't boast anything like that record. Also, Villa have won/finished 2nd in the reserve league for the previous two seasons using youth players only. Some of whom you are now seeing in the premiership, others have fallen off - it's no guarentee of success. I'd also say you were wrong about the teams we put out in those reserve clashes as we usually play kids (although there have been some occasions this season when we have used it for players recovering from injury). To conclude my cockerneeee friend, i agree you have a better team than us - at the moment, however 2 or 3 quality additions to our squad, which will happen and we will be on a level playing field again. Also, neither of us are going to be near the top 4 for a few years yet, baring a Chelski style assult on the transfer market which neither of our teams will do.

Guys, we have to take a reality check here. Spurs have had a very busy season, including two great cup runs. They will challenge the top four if they can get thier defending sorted and hold on to Berbatov. We are still well behind them after a strong finish to the season, but we still are severly underperforming against the top 6 teams. We need to replace our goalkeeper, need a decent RB, classy midfielder with bite and Bellamy.

is it just me but i thought this was a thread about who we want to sign and who is going to be shown the door.Sick of reading about spurs blagh blagh blagh.Its villa i want to read about com on rumors, pipe dreams, dream teams nightmare signings all that but only for villa thank you.Oh yea anyone fancy signing tightarse bramble? He's free you know!

Cheesed off you got Young.I saw Young have A good game v relegated Sheff Utd but nothing else.Crikes,i just soooo wish i had him & Carew instead of Berbatov & Keane.Jealous beyond belief i am...!!Lets see where Bent ends up then,lets see who"s the biggest draw for him THFC or AVFC..................

Are malony and Young classed as strikers or are they attacking midfielders? I put them in the attacking midfield role so as strikers go we have Carew,Gab,Moore and Sutton.One eye will surely retire to his farm this summer which leaves us with 3 main strikers. Mon likes the little and large formula if Carew is injured it will change his tactics.Who will he get in as cover or will he play it differently? just something to think about.

I reckon Bellamy is a dead cert, its been ongoing for ages now. I agree with skinner believing we need another target man to hold the ball up now Angel as gone. Another top class giant would be nice (Ibrahimovic apparantly shares a room with mellberg on international duty and was seen at Birmingham Airport yesterday!)

sk1nner 80 - downing...god help us. appiah, muntari or makoun in def mid would be nice. milner would be the ultimate signing - newcastles best player this season, and ours the last. and whats the big deal with luke young? delaney is better than him, just always injured

Right Back - Darijo Srna has a great World Cup for Croatia. He plays for Sahaktar so could be a realistic target, likes to get forward too. Agreed on Quesrema also but other clubs will definately be in for him. Only time will tell i just wish it would hurry up!......REMIND ME AGAIN WHY SPURS ARE ON HERE DISCUSSING THEIR TEAM?

Carson Gk, Flamini RB, We have 4 CB so don't see it being problem area if Sutton stays hes not bad here either ,*Shittu (imagine that on your shirt in the pub _joke) Barton CM Try a cheeky one for Luca Toni at CF

CHALKY, you talk has if your the new man u, check the league tables mate, we had a poor season you had a good one, and all you managed was 10 more points than us, 3 wins! so don't keep going on how near to CL football you are, then saying we are way behind u, its one or the other, theres one thing thats true we have a far supeirior defence, check the numbers, and when you've done that i want you in bed with the lights out, its school in the morning!

The most important move this summer will be to sort out our defence. We definately need a new centre back, Melberg is just not good enough to get us to european football, Laursen is but he is injured all the time. I think we should keep both of them but, we should make a CB a priority and spend big on this position. Definately not Distin he is crap, i have a few many city friends and I watch a lot of their games, he is really poor and most of their fans think the same. We shouldn't be settleing for free transfers in this position it is too important. I don't know who we should get though, but the best we can get and afford would be nice. Hopefully Laursen stays fit for the whole season and we will have a great defence. also a decent RB, Luke Young possibly, i dont know who else is available. Bouma had a great season, so we just need cover for him, possibly somone young from the championship or abroad, i would like wayne bridge but that would be a little harsh on bouma. and obviously a defensive midfielder, there is a few about, Parker, Reo Coker either would be great signings, i really doubt if they will leave though. I think Barton is more of an attacking midfielder, i think he is excellent too, but he is not the type of player we need and i think MON wants petrov to play that role.

What i would really like to see us do also is sign decent young players from the 1st division, similar to what Tottenham has done. Get players like Giles Barnes from Derby, get them now while they are cheap and make them into great players

I really hope we DON'T go for that psychopath Barton. Cracking player, scum of the Earth. Something seriously wrong with that dude and his family. I hope the club has more self respect than signing that animal.

another twelve months and berbatov will be gone, tottenham wont be able to hold onto him - i am not being harsh, it would be the same if he played for villa....... man u, madrid, barca, arsenal, liverpool, to much of an attraction for a player like that. Now can all the yids jog on, the only reason you are on here is because there is now a club in the league that is really gonna test you on and off the pitch. 50p, 20p boys? Also, personally I dont think Bent will be going to either the spuds or villa, look no further than the cheating scum that is west ham.

Bang on Stig, but you are only backing up what was has been said. I really don't care about Spurs, other than I hope they break the top 4 monopoly (if we can't of course). As MON has said top 7 (Europe) is our aim in the league next season. Luke Young and Bellamy are on the way (I think), Bent will go to the Hammers I agree. I robust centre half (Distin maybe) and a midfielder. I don't think Parker will be off now unless the Toon sign Nolan.

Press is linking Steve Davis with Fulham with the N.I. connection - also stating he is going for Healy and Lafferty. Would not be surprised if he makes a bit for Aaron Hughes as well. IMO Davis is our best midfielder except for Barry. If he doesnt make good next season yes move him along - but this time last year we were hoping Man Utd would not come in with an £8m bid for him!!! My MUFC supporting mate said when they got Carrick - we could have got Steve Davis for a third of that price!!! He is a real prospect and he SHOULD get a run in the team next year ahead of Petrov.

Someone on here suggested we loan Davis out to Fulham,that might not be a bad shout.I really hope we dont sell him,if he does go it will probably be for a pittance.Also Stephen O Halloran has been called up to the Rep Of Ireland squad he should be worth a look.

If Davis goes we'll buy someone better. MON is the best judge here, he's seen him in training and he may want off anyway. We did better this year without him in the midfield. I'm not saying he's no good but we have to move on sometimes. We hold the power with the player and I'm sure he won't be offloaded without a replacement. Has Sidwell gone to Chavski?

Too much talk about Luke Young here - surely Phil Jagielka would be an awesome right back. Also Scott Carson should be our No1 keeper. There are a lot of links here which are unrealistic. We are not building a Champions League team this summer - we just cant attract the players this summer. We need to build a team to finish top of the bottom 16 teams (5th!!) then move on from there. Carson and Jagielka would fit the bill leaving lots of money to strengthen the squad. A first XI of Carson, Jagielka, Bouma, Larsen, Mellberg, Barry, Petrov, Davis, Agbonlahor, Young and Carew should do that for us. Who could we attract better than those XI. Im afraid we just need the depth and competition for places rather than picking individuals to be a lot better than our current crop. I can only suggest that another midfielder rather than Davis but then again Berger, Maloney and Gardner could be as good as anyone (granted Berger and Maloney may need a rejig of positions to accomodate them). I reckon what we need to spend the extra millions on is a Merson-esqe player with Petrov in holding role he does well and another centre-forward as well as a versatile defender (McShane??). But I reckon the XI I have mentioned would get us in the top 6 with quality back-up who can compete for places. With millions left over for another gem who becomes available from scout reports or frustrated players at other teams - SWP, Geremi or Milner for example!!

We do need a couple players better than current ones, that's why we didn't qualify for Europe. We definitely need a right back, centre back, midfielder & goalie. Class is the key here, if you read Steve Wade's article. I'm sure the Davis issue will be sorted out. But like most players he'll want a run in the team, but we can't guarantee that unless Gardner gets injured.

I agree with you Deano. Villa need to sign players to strengthen the depth of the squad before we make the big push. We have a fair number of players but most are youngsters who have come straight through the academy and need time to bed themselves into the team. Experience is seriously lacking throughout the team and the addition of a few proven Prem players is needed before we start dreaming of CL footballers. Look at our baron spell through the middle of the season when we suffered 3 or 4 injuries, we were stuffed. We have the building blocks in place for a decent team but scoring goals is still our main problem. Defensively we were the 6th best in the league, attacking we were 12th. I believe we have the strikers to score goals but in midfield we are seriously lacking shape, creativity and goals. I have to agree with VOTH and his comments in another thread about the midfield. We need to create a unit that attacks and tracks back as one. Manure have used this system successfully for years without the need for a holding midfielder which we seem to have an obsession for.

Carrick is one of Manures creative central midfield next to Scholes. He can pass, create chances get up the pitch and score and get back and defend. He also made 400 more passes than our top passer Barry and that in 5 less games than Barry.

Our defence is 6th best in the league - what about our attack then? Is this stat is just based on goals alone? We know we are a far better defensive unit with Laursen in the team. That's why I say we need a seasoned big CB. RB is also an issue, the fans have said this all season. back up in midfield is still needed, some class.

See Jon, I don't know, I keep asking that question on this thread. It's just Chelsea surely won't sign anyone until they have sorted thier manager/sheva/ballack situation. Sidwell really doesn't fit with thier recent purchase policy of getting Galacticos. He certainly fits our requirements, but also the Toon's, Everton and maybe Spurs.

Does anyone realy think Larson will stay fit for the majority of next season? If we are being realistic here then the answer is no.Tal Ben Hiam is on a free this summer from Bolton.Lampard is on his way to barca so sidwell will play alot for chelski and the african cup of nations will depleat jose,s boys(Germmi,Essien,Jon obe one canobe etc)See big Sam wants Jlloyd.The toon do have a history of comical defenders so he should fit in nicely!

malouda defo wants to come to england in summer,if villa got him that would send out a signal of intent and maybe 7 or 8 million would secure him.do think jagielka would be a super buy because of his versatility(rb,cb and cm he can play).have to disagree slightly with what carrick does for man u,i see him as a slightly holding midfielder who occasionly gets forward when scholes sits in for him and the reason why he has so many passes completed is he picks up the ball quite a lot from the defenders to start moves forward from where he usually is which is a bit in front of the defenders althought not a typical makelele holding midfielder,barry could quite easily do this too.look at arsenal they got gilberto and veira before that,liverpool got sissoko,mascherano and alonso,chelsea got of course makelele,diarra and mikel.all the top clubs got this type of player and we need one to do that job for us i reckon who also has alot of quality about him like all of the above. gk,rb,cm and cf must be the priorities i wouldve thought.dont think sidwell has signed yet for chelski,very strange seeing he was meant to have a medical on monday,i smell a rat! UTV

Couldn't be bothered reading all this as it makes me annoyed to even see suggestions of Michael Owen. He is greed and couldn't care less personified, and despite being a great goal scorer in his prime didn't do much else.
People will laugh at that but Peter Withe and Andy Gray did lots more as well as scoring loads of goals and I would prefer to pay £10 million for him not to come. Luke Moore I believe has the potential to do the job for us and has still not yet been given a longrun because of injury. He was prolific at under 16 and under 18 and looks prolific for me now. Even if he doesn't score he works and pressurises and creates for the team.
In contrast Micheal Owen is a declining has been and never will be again. Don't waste money. please.

Bellamy has already signed for us and will complete deal after Champions league final for £8m. Luke Young also being targeted from Charlton for £4m with Ridgewell being offered in part exchange plus cash. MON after a centre half and midfielder but has yet to make any firm bids.

I think that there are so many top clubs with big money to spend that top class players are going to be overpriced.
We may buy one overpriced player, sign a couple of good out of contract oldies at 50K a week, and rely on younger players coming through.
I agree that right back and midfield stopper are priorities.

Just a point to note that it is the African Nations Cup next season. So will MON avoid buying any players that might be involved in the competition and as such be missing for a couple of months through the season? I think Chelski will be missing 5 first team players due to this comp.

Claude Makalele has received an offer from Villarreal. The defensive midfield whose very name epitomises his position on the pitch is mulling it over. Could MON get another two seasons out of him like he has with Paddy Berger?

Comedy Kieran Dyer on 80k per week - NO WAY! He's OK but that's it really, Young, Milner, Moore far better players with more potential (and less bling). The Toon fans hate him. It will be total comedy if big Sam signs J Lloyd, they were better off with Wilfred Bramble. Reo coker would have been on the cards before W Ham saved themselves. Spurs fans are talking about Nolan - he'd be great for us.

We can only speculate over signings, however we need a good goal keeper, a right back, a carrying central midfielder, an experienced striker and a centre half of proven international class! Preferably another Laursen!

Would love to see N'Zogbia - realistic and could learn loads from Berger. Building for the future. Not much to add to Carson and Jagielka to give us a first XI and decent squad to break into top 6 - then progress from there. 4-4-2 Carson, Jagielka, Mellberg, Laursen, Young, N'Zogbia, Barry, Petrov, Agbonlahor, Carew. That would work and would cost no more than £10m total. Cant complain with that!!! Plenty of players to add depth and we are there - get UEFA football and attract a further 5-6 TOP CLASS players!! For a top 4 assult!!

N'Zogbia wants to play for Wenger apparently. Diop a great call, but a hard man like that will be anted by us, Bolton, the Toon and Everton I reckon. I can't see any action happeneing until the players come off holiday, has the window opened again yet?

Is jagielka going to improve us? versitille yes better than wot we have not sure? We have the money to bid on players and have a chairman and manager that will put this club back where it belongs so lets do wot Spurs tried to do with Gareth Barry and turn the heads of under performing clubs decent players.Yakubu at middlesvilla/Flamini at arse (holding mid)Bently at Burn(Right wing) they all know villa have backing and their clubs dont with the exception of flamini who is getting limited games.?? thoughts??

Jagielka would be good I think, he could fit into right back with no problems, and i'd prefer him to Luke Young. Though WBA's RB McShane looks really good, if we signed anyone for that position, i'd like it to be him.

According to Newsnow Antunes has hinted that he'd like to move to Villa,if W B A dont come up we'll be going for McShane,anyone who has seen him play for Ireland will know how good he is but Sunderland want him too,and he'd probably join up with Keano ahead of MoN.Please can people stop saying we should sign Alves all the top sides in Europe want him.I dont think we can compete with R Madrid in the market just yet.

Koumas would be a good signing for Villa,as would Jags (totally wasted at Sheff Utd).......I would also add that half the players i have briefly glanced at on here have seriously bad attitudes,real rotten apples like Ribery/Diop/N"zogbia/Bellamy/Barton etc.Do your youngsters need those influences around them....??MON doesnt strike me either as the type to suffer fools,cant see him putting up with pictures of Bellamy with the bracelets on in the back of a Police van or Barton beating everyone up on the training field,can you..??

some people seem to think bellamy is a done deal - 3 months ago i'd have been delighted but the end of the season got me thinking we don't need him so much. we didn't score many goals this season, but with the upturn in form towards the end, largely because of the january signings, i reckon our strikeforce is twice as good as it was this time last year. O'Neill was linked with a £100m bid for David Villa in the Mirror by the way, i'd be happy with that.

why th obsession with relegated teams players? Are they really good enough? Jagielka hardly a star, Luke young not great, we need to aim higher than these type of players as they are no better than what we have.

My God chalky yo really did take those pills I advised you lot at Spurs to do yesterday... how long do they last? :-) I agree about the bad apples you talk about but I think MON has always relished the challenge of one to manage. Whether you like his style of football or not it has been successful and always includes a player who likes to mix it... Savage comes to mind.

A Portugal footy site has quotes from Pacos de Ferreira left-back Vitorino Antunes who apparently could be set to sign for Aston Villa.
The left-back, according to PortuGOAL, has impressed Villa and the Portugal Under-21 said:
“It would be a great chance to play in England for a big club.”

Differance is Hoss,Savage (who i personally think is zhit) for all his faults on the pitch is as quiet as a mouse off it,he"s a family man with young kids.I havent seen him in handcuffs on the front page of The Sun.I heard Bellamy"s ex manager at Norwich on the radio once say how Bellamy would question everything in training & do his own thing,he thinks he can do better than the manager.6 clubs in 6 years tells his story.........

It's great to have a gossip and the amount of posts suggest others agree. Who we gonna get? Without stating the obvious... we'll have to wait and see! My point is, that some of the links frustrate me because they are not an improvement on what we have. I do hope MON lives up to his word and signs genuine quality because nothing will upset the marginal players by bringing in... more marginal players. Come on the Villa!

its a pity west ham didn't get relegated. We could have made moves for a few of their players, now i cant see any of the leaving. Plus, to add insult ti injury, they will be competing for the same players as us.

WHU made a late bid for Sidwell offerein better salary than Chelski (source SSN).... tgings are borsering on the ridiculous and the money now in th Prem is leading to UK based players really being totally unrealistically priced and rated. I would be happier to see the continent scoured for realistically priced players with proven international pedigree as opposed to the over inflated experienced Premiership players from ***** sides eg Barton, Distin, Jagelka L.Young etc. We have a solid foundation of young players and seasoned pros to build on, a little proven class to join them would be ideal.... the question is who fits the bill?

Reo Coker to Spurs (NOTW), Distin to Portsmouth (People), Bellamy interesting WHU (another tabloid not sure which one) nothing at all about Villa apart from Davis to Fulham for £3m.
As far as West Ham are concerned reported that Curbishley is getting rid of Reo Coker, Zamorra, Harewood, Konchesky, Davenport, Mullins, Quashie, Carroll and Etherington as well as Ferdinand ( more complicated due to impending court case)

i'd like to see villa buy a mixture of players. 1st of all proven premiership players are required like distin, barton, bellamy. Then i think if we added some continental players for example the rb for shakthar (Srna) Then i feel if we add some other young players that are unknown like that Antunes, i think villa will have the right balance to succed into getting uefa cup or even champ league football in the future.

Thanks for telling them how it is tarzan, but may I correct you; spurs didn't just have two good cup runs, we had THREE (two quarters and a semi). And Pezza, it will take more than 3 quality signings for villa to catch up to spurs because we will also be adding to our squad in the off season. And the idiot who qouted from a newspaper which said that villa will challenge the top 4 and that spurs will fall away....PLEEEEASE!!!!! if you believe that then surely you are just as deluded as the muppet who wrote it.

Well he has signed players he knows could do a job for us i dont care where they come from and he knew them well to get them in the 2 weeks he had pre season last year.He still may go back and take from celtic(keeper) but if it improves the squad i dont care.Remember Celtic beat man utd in the champions league so they must have good players.Just dont sign Lennon please MON

I remember listening to Steve Clargide before the Reading game, and he said MON's style is very simple when it comes to signing players. He has a set system, and the players he buys have specific jobs in that system, he only buys players he feels are better than the ones that he has, and doesn't like ones that are lets say 'flamboyant', look at Baros for example. BBC sport have also said he was at the Hearts game today, possibly casting his eye over Craig Gordon, who Man Utd are also believed to be about to bid £8m for....

interesting about martin watching gordon,rate him as good as boruc quality wise.both are better than sorenson and command their area far better.a top drawer gk is surely a priority for martin,as tommy must give him the jitters as well as the rest of us or me anyway that is! UTV

I think Boaz Myhill would be a decent signing, I also like the thought of Luke Young as right back, feel we need a Merson type midfield player, not too sure who though!! Curtis Davies would be class, but that will hang on the playoff match of course. I rate Kim Kallstrom and the Mellberg factor may entice him to the Villa. Not too sure about Distin or Koumas, who have been linked every summer for about 3 years cause I feel they are both playing at their level and are not the types of players who would add anything to the cause. Dave Nugent and Joey Barton are not gonna join Villa, they are both Everton fans and Moyes is said to be interested.

Jagielka would have to be on his list. MON went and saw preston west brom earlier in the year so i'd say he would be after 1 of nugent, curtis davis, or McShane. I would really like to see us sign Nugent. I doubt reo coker will be going anywhere, I doubt any of the WHU players will be going anywhere. They have a new manager and have lots of money to sign players, i would put money on it that there wont be a clearout or anything like it at WHU as it has been reported.

Muntari is a quality player but i wouldn't say he is better than Zokora or Appiah. They do play in different positions however, Muntari is more of a winger whereas Zokora and Muntari are more defensive minded midfielders.

No new names I can add to the above mixed bag, but I did notice today that 32 year old French striker Antoine Sibierksi has turned down Newcastle's offer of a new one-year contract. Just think chaps, twelve months ago, pre Randy/MON we'd have been after him in a heartbeat.

O Neill is up to something,all the strikers we've mentioned and the Boss is lookin at players like Naysmith.He must have defender in mind if he didn't move for Distin,I think there will be a few suprises.

one for you here,someone on sky sports rumours page saying to be someone walton has said his brother told him(brother simon is a player for charlton though been out on loan.) that darren bent will be going to villa in summer for 10 million.could be bollox like,actually probably more likely is though if he is who he says he is could be true! lol. UTV

Gabby is that 20goal a season man, he spent all season on the right wing and got 9 goals. He will be amazing next season! Moore has the potential to score quite a few, just needs a run in the side too.

Tarzan - The "massive club" is Lee is going to is Ajax, seeing Sneijder come the other way!! ;-)
I see Spurs are going for Nakamura. Ok, some will say we're going back to raid Celtic, but Nakamura is a better right winger than our Gabby - the right side is a strengthening priority for us.

Sidwell and Distin were free agents and can talk to who they want and sign for who they want, when a player is out of contract they can sign for other clubs outside of the transfer window. The window officially opens on June 1st - FACT.

No its not, I dont know where you got this from, visit the FA website. the transfer window is June 1st - August 31st. A player can sign a pre-contract agreement with a club if they are in the last 6 months of their contract, or if they are a free agent, and free to talk to other clubs. They cannot sign until the window opens (unless they are a free agent - and not under contract). Again The window is simply 1st June - 31st August. www.thefa.com

Tarzan, I think that a lot of the non-reporting of rumours involving Villa is down to the sc um bag cockney press, who would rather keep the Spuds, Wet Sham and their cockney mate Harry "I look like Deputy Dawg with tourette's" Redknapp in the news, as the arrogant idiots don't think anything exists north of Watford apart from Man Ure and the bin dippers!
Also Randy is very professional, as is MON, and I suspect they would rather do their business behind closed doors than in the glare of the muppets of the cockney press!

I think Villa shud be careful, players like Gabbi and Gardner shud be given more first team football next season after how well they played this season.I dont want us just to by players for the hell of it, also i think we could do better looking at lower divison players who played well like Sharp, rather then going after big name players that everyone is after as they will not join Villa they will go to a Man u or Chelsea.

barry absolutely outstsanding in centre mid for england b,running the show,if the ginger doughnut is not impressed with this so far,he never will be.thats defo barrys position now,looks completely at home and has everything to play there,so impressive although i shouldnt be surprised that is what he has been like all season. matty taylor out on left and barry inside,2 of the best left footed players in premiership,sounds good 2 me,in need of some cover on the left so if it is true about taylor then i understand martins thinking. UTV

have seen it all now,barry off after an hour after him running the match,only thing i can think of is he was carrying a knock from 1st half or muppet mclaren surely this time has seen enough of his quality,stood out from the rest.lets think about it logically who was better there,him or jenas the liability,now ledley king a centre half in centre mid,brilliant tactial nous-ous from doughnut AGAIN! anyone watching that match surely seen all of barrys quality including the ginger one,pick of all the players on the pitch i thought,outstanding once again. well done gareth you made us proud even if it was only albania to start with and lastly i reckon david platt must be having a sexual relationship with david bentley,hasnt stopped about him all night,he talks some rubbish has to be said,i thought bentley was ok but nowhere near as good as barrys performance. UTV

it would have to be Downing(Twinger Gat's Blowjob buddy) that scores 2 goals " Downing inspires England victory" i quote from the BBC . How annoying ! "what do i have to do to get in the England team Steve" well.... have you got any poppers ?

Jaglieka looked good last night when he came on, would not mind him playing right back at villa park one bit. Very versatile player, likes to get forward......snap him up, shame about the apparant 6m price tag

Well Distin has gone, Young is linked to Everton & Pompey but not us, Hokey-Cokey is up for sale, Riise also (useful player). Interestly Benetez has stated you have to go for your targets now before other clubs get in there. Love to know what MON has in mind as whether he is fatally hesitating. Perhaps he's waiting to see If West Brom go up as we're linked to some of their players. Could be another month before the signings come in.... I don't think I can wait that long 8-(

surely work is going on behind scenes that we do not know about,have faith in randy and martin they will produce the signings we need although my patience already are slightly wearing thin! please just give us one 2 wet the appetite 4 l8r! lol.

Do you honestly believe MON aint workin hard as we speak on bringing in his targets? He is gettin on quietly and prob once we get close to a deal things will be in News of The World or an other classy broadsheet.bellamy aint worth 12mill and neither west ham or villawill be held to ransom they should agree a fee between them selfs and tell the greedy americans at liverpool to like it or lump it. if we are having to pay 12 mill rather we pushed the boat out and spent the money on Darren Bent

its obvious the ginger muppet has a personal vendetta against barry because 1)how could he for starters bring him off last night when he was without doubt one of the best players on the park if not the best and 2)talk about jenas,bentley and shorey after match when barry far outshone all of them overwhelmingly 2 anyone who knows anything about football.gareth you were outstanding although it was only against albania,do not let your head drop because of that desperate manager who ia a grade a ass-hole,ginger doughnut you should be ashamed of your self,barry surely impressed anyone who watched the game,still cannot understand him being left out when likes of shorey,dyer,bentley,jenas,downing and neville are all included.barry is far superior to any of these without doubt. UTV

Ok,can we please get some form of message board/protest list against this tw@T and get it sent to FA ? This has to be a personal thing now surely,every player that started B game is in apart from Gareth who was arguably best player on the night ( and least selfish )McLaren will get away with it because even the Blues would beat Estonia,I`M SO ANGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

McClown must have a grudge against Villa after we hammered boro 4 - 0 or something. He picks average players from his old club instead of Barry, who didn't waste a pass when we beat boro 3 - 1 last season. That is a sign of a bad manager who needs to go!

Reo-Coker would do nicely,but may be one of those players that if he leaves London may struggle to breath,replacing McCann for him though is heading in the right direction and he can bring Ashton in the same chauffered car pretty please.

Reo-Coker replacing McCann in the squad would be a step in the right direction but i`ve a feeling he may want to stay in London,if there is a chance then let`s make sure Ashton is in the same chauffered car.Maybe we could just have the whole England U-21 squad ??

The Times have us linked with Marlon Harewood. When will the press realise we are gonna be shopping for a more superior player than the likes of Harewood.........cue press conference to announce his signing.

See that James Beattie is being linked with a move away from Everton. Could be an interesting one if he could rediscover his form and a hell of a lot cheaper than some other strikers being touted around.

Liverpool are reported to be in for Taylor. This will be sooooooooo frustrating for MON....and us. If it's not hard enough with other clubs getting a bit of dosh, just when you thought you've identified a decent player, one of the top 4 sniff around. Can he resist them? I just hope that if the reports are true that he's already spoken to us, and had a look at the set up, he might be sold on us already. Don't want to have to settle for second or third best. On a different theme why does Bouma want to wait until September to look at his contract that has 12 months to run? Could it be that he's waiting to see if he'll be first choice and if not run his contract down or get off in January? Sign up or ship out!

a sign of a poor manager is when they are stubborn and set in their ways. mcclaren clearly has an impression in his mind of how good downing could be, but the reality is far, far different. its a shame downing got lucky in the b game because it gives mcclaren a sense of justification for his inclusion. mcclaren normally smiles when he gets stick, when he should show his disappointment in himself. he should admit he let his country down but he hates to be proved wrong. in that sense, the more people say barry should be in the side, the more likely it is he will leave him out. the eyes of 30 million people are not deceived you muppet, barry is worth it and you are not.

Again these prices being bandied around are boll4cks, 12 mill Belamy, 8 mill Reo-corker, we need to spend money on good quality scandinavian players like big sam did at Bolton, look where it got them. players who don't mind the cold weather or the rain or moving to the midlands, look at mellberg and laursen, quality pro's, there's got to be some great young talent coming out of sweden, norway, denmark right now. the last thing we need is a team divided by a few prima donas

Not sure I fancy Reo-Coker, seems a bit of a big time charlie in his head. We've had enough of them, Taylor is QUALITY and would not only score goals but can imagine he and Barry would link up very well

liamo1981, what the feck are you talkng about, Barry crap as a LB? At the start of the season, due to Bouma being injured, that is exactlty where he played for us and everyone, press included, was raving about him. On the statistical side he was rated as the BEST defender in the whole Prem. I agree that LM and CM are better possitions for him but frankly he has the quality to be class anywhere on the left side of the field.

These players you all mention should def help make villa a top 10 league team. Who knows, maybe even in a few years you could start dreaming of making the uefa cup, maybe mind. Realistically, the only player mentioned so far who might join is marlon harewood. At least villa are good for the draws on my coupon now since MON took charge. p.s. there is one thing having some money to spend but its another thing attracting good players to play at villa.

whats up belfast bum villain ? There is no chance of villa attracting any player above the quality of marlon harewood. Maybe if you get him villa might make top 10 and then who knows, maybe in 5 years you might make uefa cup. But anything better than that is unrealistic.

MON's been in Holland watching the Dutch cup Final among other play offs and stuff. Apparently Afonso Alves, a Brazillian striker with 31 goals for Heerenveen last season is a target, as is Wesley Schneider of Ajax. I'd love us to sign Klaas Jan Huntellar, but maybe i'm dreaming...............!!!!!!!!!!!!! Need a keeper, (Boruc at Celtic) right back (Luke Young) Paul Robinson as cover for Freddy at LB (Freddy's a class act!), centre midfield (Schneider or okey Coker?) and one more out and out poacher.(Alves). Davis must stay, Moore cant go to Middlesvilla, Pleeeeeeasse! There's 15 a season in him if fit. Uefa cup minimum next term, CL with the above list. Bright Future alright, bring it on!

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